1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to supports, and in particular relates to a folding, easily transportable device adapted to support saddles or to serve as a sawhorse and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are a wide variety of support arrangements contained in the prior art. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,889,185, Heisler discloses a table having foldable legs, in which the legs are adapted to mate in such a manner that they form a compact unit which is readily stacked one on top of another. In the arrangement taught by Heisler, the legs comprise unitary members which are pivotted to the sides of the table.
A somewhat similar arrangement is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,572,474 to Hamilton. The collapsible table taught by Hamilton also includes legs which are capable of nesting together and forming an easily stackable unit, but in which the legs comprise a single unitary construction which is pivoted along the bottom of the support. In U.S. Pat. No. 910,354, Burlingame discloses an arrangement similar to those described above, and in which the unitary pivotable leg structures are locked in place by the use of V-shaped braces which are adapted to fit within a spring catch thereby holding the legs in one of two positions. Another arrangement like that of Burlingame is disclosed by York in U.S. Pat. No. 159,737.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,261,112, Gray discloses a knock-down table in which the two pairs of support legs are again formed in a unitary construction, and which are capable of being nested due to an offset design between the two leg pairs.
In U.S. Pat. No. 1,959,725, Lindsay discloses a nestable folding table, in which the legs have a unitary construction, but are foldable one pair of legs on top of the other. In U.S. Pat. No. 1,600,823, Hess teaches a folding bench having a metal leg structure in which the legs are formed of unitary pairs which are foldable against the bottom of the support structure. A similar arrangement is disclosed by Lion U.S. Pat. No. Des. 142,171.
While all of the above-described prior art structures enable the two pairs of support legs to be folded against the support structure, these arrangements are unsuitable for certain uses. For example, it is often desirable for a horseman in the field to remove the saddle from his horse, while resting or camping. In order to prevent the undersides of the saddle from becoming soiled, it is desirable to place the saddle on a support which is capable of withstanding the heavy weight of the saddle, and yet is also capable of being folded into a compact, flat unit which can be transported in an accompanying vehicle.